Revenge
by aggiefrogger
Summary: Short fic I came up with long ago, and I finally finished it. Basically, Red gets tired of Rick pranking him all the time, so he decides to get even, with unintended results... I dunno if anyone even reads FF on this show anymore, but if anyone reads this, please leave a review with your thoughts, and favorite if you enjoy! See Chapter One for the disclaimer.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, readers! I used to watch this show, and this story kinda came to me a while ago, but I've finally finished it; references the episode "Fear Itself." Hope y'all enjoy! Favorite and review if you like (if anyone even _reads_ this!) **

**-aggiefrogger**

**Note: I do NOT own Marvel in ANY way, shape or form.**

* * *

"WHAT THE-"

Red got up off the floor, rubbing his sore head as he looked at his set of weights. _Now_ he noticed that his largest set of weights were replaced with fake, ultra lightweight ones. When he'd gone to lift them, they shot into the air, hitting him in the head because he wasn't expecting so little resistance. As he was getting up, he noticed the tiny camera drone quickly fly out of his bedroom.

"JONES," he screamed, his body heating up to dangerous levels as he became filled with rage. Red immediately stormed out of his room, heading straight to the bedroom of the youngest hulk, A-Bomb. The angry hulk hammered on the door, which barely budged (after Abomination's last attack, they'd reinforced all the doors in the base, so that even a Hulk couldn't break them down), yelling through the metal. "OPEN UP," he barked, slamming both fists on the door frame. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! YA THINK IT'S FUNNY, MESSING WITH MY STUFF?! LET ME GIVE YA SOMETHING TO MESS WITH! COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"

The kid didn't reply, and after a few minutes, Red stormed off, trying to cool down. The next time he saw that kid, he'd give it to him. It seemed that every other week, the kid was pulling some prank on him. For instance, a few weeks ago, A-Bomb had spiked his shaving cream with itchy powder, and he was scratching his face and neck for hours afterwards. Before that, he'd replaced Red's gamma guns with water gun replicas, so when he went to train, all that shot out was a thin stream of water, sending Jen and Skaar into hysterics.

_One damn prank after another_, he thought to himself, still seething mad and refusing to calm down, his body steaming with heat. _When I get my hands on that kid, I'll show that clown-_

Red suddenly stopped in the hall, an idea forming in his mind. A few months ago, they'd fought a monster from space that showed them their worst fears, and the red man still clearly remembered what A-Bomb's was. Every time the kid pranked him, he'd get upset, manage to land a few punches, but another prank always followed a while later. This time, he thought as a smile crossed his face, he wouldn't get mad.

He'd get _even_.

* * *

Rick grinned to himself as he made his way back to the room after filming his segment for the web show.

He'd pulled a good prank on Red the day before, and he'd managed to get off without a scratch. Rick (aka A-Bomb) had sneaked into Red's room, invisible, replaced his weights with lighter replicas, and hid a camera so he could watch the show. The hothead lifted the bar and promptly knock himself off his feet, laughing hysterically from the safety of his bedroom as he watched the camera feed. Of course, Red had immediately come to his room, hammering on the door and demanding that he come out and face him like a man, but Rick waited him out, the hulk eventually tiring himself out and leaving. Later at dinner, Red didn't look at him or say anything, and the blue hulk was glad that the ex-general hadn't tried to beat him to a pulp. Now, as he walked back to his room, he decided he should upload it to the web show, seeing as how he hadn't uploaded a prank video in months.

Entering his room, he flopped onto his bed, pulling out his large tablet from his bedside table, prepared to go through the day's footage. Shifting into a sitting position, he frowned when he felt something odd underneath his pillow. Reaching down, he recoiled in horror and gave a short yell when he pulled out a clown doll.

"GAH!" he yelled, tossing the creepy clown across the room. It made a small laughing noise, which sent another chill up A-Bomb's spine. Eventually, his heart stopped pounding, his breath slowing down. There was only one hulk who could've done it, and he gave a low growl of annoyance.

_I probably deserved that, though_, A-Bomb thought bitterly, going back to his tablet. _I'm lucky he didn't do anything worse. _Rick turned on his tablet to find the background had been changed to a bunch of smiling, creepy clown faces. He screamed, dropping the tablet and falling off the bed as he tried to scramble away from it. It was at that moment he noticed the floating camera hovering in the corner, it's red recording light on.

"V-Very funny, Red," A-Bomb said shakily, getting to his feet and walking over to the camera. "You got me good, heh heh! Sorry for what I did earlier with your weights, and-"

Suddenly, he felt something hit his shoulder, and he looked down, falling back when he saw another clown doll, this one smiling maniacally at him from the floor. Then, another one fell from the ceiling. Then another. He screamed as a bunch of dolls started falling from the ceiling, several floating bots releasing a tarp full of clown dolls onto A-Bomb.

Rick screamed again, breathing heavily as he stared in horror at the surrounding clowns, all of them seeming to jeer at him. They seemed to cover the floor like an ocean of terror, and it was like some horrible nightmare come to life. The blue hulk scrambled to his feet, tripping and falling over the dolls as he tried to get out of his room. Each doll he stepped on made that maniacal laughing noise, which rang in the teen's ears as he ran out of his room in blind terror, right into the red fist right outside his door.

A-Bomb was sent flying down the hall, landing painfully on his back. Looking up, a little dazed, he saw Red roaring with laughter, leaning against the wall for support. Besides the sore jaw, the teen felt embarrassed, seeing the hulk cruelly laughing at him.

"OH, YA SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE RIGHT NOW," he laughed, a few of the camera bots hovering next to him. "AND I GOT IT ALL_ LIVE-STREAMED!_ HA HA HA!" The red hulk seemed to calm down a little after that, glaring at the blue hulk. "That'll teach ya to mess with my stuff again, Rookie!"

Rick stared at Red as he made his disappeared down the hall, shaking like a leaf as he got to his feet. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he felt incredibly embarrassed and angry, but he knew better than to retaliate; if the Hulk could keep his temper, he definitely could. Still, he was shaken; a few months ago, after a battle with a particularly vicious monster named Null, the whole S.M.A.S.H. team had learned each other's fears, and it was apparent that Red had remembered that Rick's was clowns.

_I d__**efinitely**__ deserved that_, Rick thought, rubbing his sore jaw, _but that was a little immatu- wait, did he say __**LIVE-STREAMED?!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Later that night, Rick was sleeping in the large hanger with Devil Dinosaur, using a pillow he'd swiped from the couch. It was uncomfortable, but there was NO WAY that he was going back into his room with all of those clown dolls still in there.

To say the least, A-Bomb's nerves were shot; he was extra jumpy, and kept shooting a glance at the ceiling every few seconds, looking out for another tarp of creepy clowns. Even in the dark, he huddled against the T-Rex's soft belly, scared of turning his back on anyone that might try to mess with him. Hulk had noticed his nervousness at dinner and asked him if anything was wrong, but Rick had stayed silent, under the watchful eye of the red hothead. Hulk and Red had little spats all the time, and A-Bomb didn't want his best friend to have to deal with the ex-general for him; that would just make him look childish and weak. Besides, he was embarrassed, having been humiliated like that in front of the millions of people that watched the web-series, and didn't want Hulk or the others laughing at him like all the people that watched the video.

It was a rough night; Rick woke up several times, screaming at the clown-filled nightmares that haunted his sleep. His pet dinosaur was there, nestling him with his head, and A-Bomb quickly dried his tears, glad that the cameras that followed them around didn't record at night.

The next morning, he yawned as he ate his eggs and bacon, picking out a long hair from his food. Skaar was helping with the cooking in an effort to learn more about Earth hobbies, and his food tasted pretty good (besides the occasional hairs). Red ate his food in silence as well, shooting Rick the occasional smirk as he ate.

"A-Bomb tired," Skaar asked, flipping another egg.

"Kinda," the blue hulk grumbled.

"Anything we can do to help," Red asked in a tone of mock sincerity.

"N-No," Rick said, quickly finishing his plate and getting up, resisting the urge to smash his plate over Red's thick skull. He wandered down the hall, needing something to distract himself. Reaching his room, he quickly closed his eyes, feeling around the space blindly until he reached his tablet, which had fallen next to the bed. Once back in the safety of the T-Rex's room, he quickly opened a new tab, changing the background picture to nice, non-threatening puppies. A-Bomb then took a deep breath, logged onto the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Web Show, and looked to see the damage.

The video was edited well (which he didn't expect Red to be good at), and included commentary from the red hulk before and afterwards, talking about how he'd bought the dolls in bulk after the last prank, hid them in the kid's room while Rick was sparring with She-Hulk, and of course, replayed Rick's high-pitched scream several times for comedic effect. The video, when it live-streamed, had about seven thousand views, but now, it was well over 13 million, and counting. It hurt, hearing what the red hulk said about him, such as how annoying he was and how inexperienced at fighting he was, and even more so with millions of people hearing it as well. But he was used to Red's comments by now, and they didn't bother him as much as it used to.

What _did_ bother him were the viewer comments underneath the video, slowly increasing along with the number of views. Some of them were sympathetic, defending Rick and getting mad at Red for going too far with his prank, but those were scarce. Most of them seemed to agree with the red guy, and Rick felt his heart sink as he read some of them:

**What a JOKE!**

** ..**

** Did you see his face when he turned on his tablet and saw those clowns? **_**HILARIOUS!**_

**..**

**I hear you, Red. A-Bomb is **_**definitely**_** the most annoying of the Agents! Don't know how you put up with him on a daily basis.**

**..**

** YOU GO RED! WAY TO SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS!**

**..**

**Hey, A-Bomb! Check **_**this**_** out! (insert clown emoji) WHAT A JOKE!**

**..**

** A little surprised that the blue one's scared of clowns when he's the biggest clown of the hulks!**

The blue hulk turned off the tablet, pushing it aside as he took a few shaky breaths. He usually felt that he made a good impression on the people that watched his show, and that they generally liked him, but it hurt to see so many negative comments about him on the Internet; even more so when he recognized some of the names in the comments as those he noticed as daily followers. It felt bad to learn how many people agreed with Red, and Rick felt even worse, wishing he hadn't bothered looking at the comments.

It was then he realized that Red had probably live streamed his prank for this reason; Rick wouldn't be able to complain about what the viewers were saying without looking bad in front of the people that watched the web show. Also, it would just let the ex-general know how much the comments had hurt him, giving him more ammunition to use in the future. He knew that he shouldn't have gone and messed with Red, and that he was probably getting his just punishment, but he was still upset, feeling a few tears well in his eyes as he thought about some of the comments.

"GRRR." Devil Dinosaur growled, nestling his crimson head against the blue one, trying to get the usually cheery hulk to smile. The teen quickly wiped his eyes, not wanting anyone to notice that he'd been crying.

"Thanks, buddy," Rick muttered, scratching the dino's chin as he stood up. "At least _somebody_ around here still likes me." He left the dino shortly after that, heading towards the door leading outside when he was stopped by She-Hulk.

"Hey, Rick," she said genially, her own bot floating behind her. "I was just wondering when the next webisode is coming out. Just finished filming my next segment."

"You… you haven't checked the website," A-Bomb asked.

"No, is it up already-

"NO!" The green woman started a bit, and the blue hulk blushed a little, starting to make his way outside again. "I mean, it's not up yet… but… it will be. Soon. Just don't check the website until then, OK? Bye!" And with that, he ran outside, leaving a confused hulk behind him.

Ten minutes later, Rick sat at the top of a large plateau, several miles away from the base, staring out at the desert around him. It was a secret spot he'd found long ago, and sometimes he went up there early in the morning, without cameras; he just wanted a tiny piece of privacy to himself. It showed all of Vista Verde, the surrounding landscape, and a brilliant view of the sunrise in its glory.

Up there, it was easy to forget about clowns, and Red, and hateful video comments. A-Bomb turned around, punching a small crater into the rock so he wouldn't roll off the edge, and curled into a blue ball, resting in the divot. In the darkness, he still felt the warmth of the sun, which was like a blanket, and he soon fell asleep, making up for lost time.

* * *

Red was lifting weights in his room (which he checked beforehand to make sure they were the real ones) when the Hulk banged on his door.

"Red, open up," the green guy yelled. "I wanna talk to you!"

"Come in, by all means," Red said gruffly, still curling his weights as the green hulk walked in. "I'd _love_ to have an excuse to punch your block off!"

"This isn't about me," Hulk said, "this is about Rick."

"Rookie Jones? What about him?"

"I'm talking about _this_." The green man shoved a tablet in Red's face, showing the video of the clown prank. "Jen saw it and told me about it. What were you thinking?"

"Heh heh," Red chuckled, putting down his weights. "Little clown deserved it, too. Coulda accidentally killed myself when he messed with my weights, so I gave him a little taste of his own medicine."

"This was more than a little taste. _This_ was taking it too far, Red," Hulk growled, turning off the video and glaring at the red hulk. "And you _will_ apologize to Rick. You know that he's terrified of clowns-"

"That's what makes it so funny! Did ya see him scream and tripping over those dolls?" He smiled at the memory. "Priceless!"

"Its _not_ _funny!_ Dropping forty clown dolls on him and posting his reaction to the world? It's amazing how low you've managed to sink, using fear to make fun of and embarrass another person, a _teammate_, for your petty revenge!"

"Oh, cry me a river, Green Boy," Red said, stepping up so that he was face to face with the Hulk and crossing his arms in defiance. "So what if the kid's a little hurt? It'll teach him to not pull stupid stunts like that anymore! He's been prankin' me since the day he joined the team, and I've _had it!_ Besides, it'll toughen him up, show him that ya don't poke a stick at a rattlesnake!"

"But you had no right to put that on his web site," Hulk said, his eyes narrowed. "He didn't put that weight prank he pulled on you online, or any of his other jokes! Yes, I'll admit, he's a little immature and rowdy at times, but he's still just a kid! His pranks are all in good fun, but this was just mean and vindictive! Out of all his pranks, how many of them actually hurt you?"

"Look here, Greenie-" The Red Hulk cut off, suddenly thinking about all of the kid's past pranks. The weights. The shaving cream. Replacing his guns with water guns, to name a few. They were just as annoying as the kid who'd pulled them, but as the red man thought about it, he realized something horrible:

The Hulk… was _right_.

Crap.

_None_ of A-Bomb's past pranks had actually hurt him or scared him; they were just light-hearted, funny pranks that didn't greatly embarrass Red, and made him huff with anger for a few minutes until he calmed down. Also, as far as he could remember, Rick had only posted one prank video on his website, and that was over six months ago. A pang of guilt blipped through Red's chest, but it was so quick, he was sure he imagined it. However he felt, he wasn't about to admit to the Hulk that he was right about the pranks, so he covered his realization with a scowl.

"Not a lotta times, but I assure ya he did," Red lied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go feed Devil." He stomped out of his room, leaving the green brute standing there, tablet still in hand.

The red hulk couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of Hulk's words, but he brightened up a little when the large red dinosaur ran towards him, licking his hair back. "Hey, big guy! Who's a good dinosaur? Ya hungry, buddy?" The dinosaur panted, wagging his tail as Red made his way towards the large bin of food they kept for the creature. As he passed where the creature slept, he noticed A-Bomb's tablet was lying nearby, next to a pillow and a blanket.

_Damn, did the kid sleep in here last night_, he wondered, picking up the tablet to check to see if it still had the clown background (that idea had come to him at the last minute, and he thought it was genius at the time). Turning it on, he saw that it was opened to the prank video, and that the kid had scrolled down to look at the comments. Red Hulk hadn't noticed those before, but as he read them, he felt an odd mix of emotions.

At first, pride and happiness that so many people agreed with him (as well as at how many people saw the video; he'd never been so popular on the show before), then it started to turn into pity and anger at some of the more vicious comments about Rick (some of which were the same names and insults Red always called the blue teen), and then rage, his body starting to heat up as he grew angrier. The tablet case melted in his hands, and he quickly dropped it, not wanting to damage the kid's property any farther.

"WHY THOSE INSENSITIVE LITTLE-"

He stopped himself, staring at the plastic puddle the tablet now sat in. It was his fault. It was his fault, and his alone, that caused those comments, so he couldn't get mad at the viewers. Only himself. If he hadn't gotten even, they wouldn't have posted those comments, and Rick-

"Damnit, I'm gonna have to apologize, don't I," he asked himself, staring at the high ceiling above him. Red didn't know how he would live this down; he was the toughest and strongest of the group (no matter _what_ Hulk or the others said), and he wasn't supposed to show emotion. He'd trained himself not to be vulnerable, and apologizing would ruin his tough-guy reputation.

_You mean like __**you**__ ruined the kid's reputation_, his inner voice thought.

"Urgh… you're right," he muttered. "I gotta find the kid and-"

_Wait_, he realized, looking at the pillow on the floor, _where WAS Rick?_


	3. Chapter 3

Rick was still sleeping peacefully on top of the plateau when it reached lunch time. It was so calm and quiet up there, and he was in such a deep sleep, he didn't notice the tiny band around his arm, beeping as the tracker the Hulk had put in it activated.

A-Bomb dreamed that he was riding Devil Dinosaur through the streets of New York City, waving at the cheering fans that wanted to see and meet _him_, the hulk who had helped prove to the world that the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. weren't monsters. The other Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and even the X-Men were also there, but they were treating Rick the way he wanted to be treated; as an equal to them, not just some little kid who was the baby of the family. Then, Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up, gave him a medal, and-

_TAP. TAP. TAP._

"Not now, Devil," Rick mumbled, still wrapped up in a round blue ball. "Five more minutes, and _then_ I'll play with you."

"Open up, Sleeping Beauty," Red's voice replied, followed by more tapping. "I need to talk to ya."

Rick's eyes popped open, and he quickly unfolded out of a ball, kicking the Red Hulk squarely in the stomach, knocking him off the plateau. It was involuntary and accidental, and the blue hulk ran to the edge, watching as Red hit the ground a few seconds later, creating a large crater and sending up a dust cloud. A-Bomb knew he was fine; Red could fall from orbit and survive without a scratch. If anything, Rick knew the guy would probably be back up the cliff in about fifteen seconds.

"What now," he grumbled to himself, annoyed at being woken up, turning and starting to punch a deeper crater into the plateau. "That… hothead… can't… leave… me… alone?"

_He's probably come to gloat_, he thought bitterly, leaping up and rolling back into a ball, embedding himself into the deeper hole he'd just dug when he landed; spikes up, in case Red tried to grab him and throw him off the rock (which wouldn't have been the first time). _Or he has another clown to scare me with. Well, I'm just not gonna listen to him; I don't __**have**__ to listen to him! He's the __**last**__ hulk I want to-_

The rock trembled as the red hulk landed back on top of the plateau, glowing with so much heat and anger, Rick could feel the heat from his spot deep in the rock.

"YA GOT SOME NERVE, KID," Red yelled, slamming his fists down on the ground on either side of the hole, cracking the stone a little. "YOU'RE LUCKY I CAN'T COME IN THERE AND MAKE YA COME OUT!"

"Good," Rick called out, still a couple feet into the rock. "Leave me alone! I'm not in the mood to talk!"

"Then listen," he heard the ex-general order gruffly.

"Not to you; haven't you've done enough? Don't make me call the Hulk-"

"Like ya can call him from your little hidey-hole. Besides, this is between you and me."

"Not anymore, remember? It's now between you, me, and 13,237,209 people, unless it's grown since I last checked the website!"

A-Bomb heard the other hulk give an exasperated sigh. "At least ya still have your _charming personality_," the red Hulk grumbled.

"_GO __**AWAY**_," Rick yelled, his voice echoing in the enclosed space. "We both know the only reason you're here is because Hulk is making you apologize! Just get it over with and leave me alone!"

" … No," Red Hulk said, and A-Bomb could almost imagine him standing above him, arms crossed and a steely expression on his face. "I'm gonna do this properly."

"Why? Feeling guilty for once? A lot of good it does me now! Besides," he added, yelling through the exterior of the ball and the rock, "how do I know this isn't another prank? How many cameras do you have up there now? How many clown dolls did you buy this time?"

"Kid-"

"How many people are watching now? 10,000? 100,000! A million? _Ten_ million? Might as well let them watch, things can't get any worse for me than they already are!" He felt himself growing angrier, but he was too upset to notice. "Everyone knows the truth about A-Bomb now! The _smallest_ of the Agents, the _weakest_ of the Agents, the most _annoying_ of the Agents! Well, you know what? I'm not an Agent, I'm a JOKE!"

Rick was grateful that he was curled in a ball and a few feet in the rock, so that Red couldn't see his hurt expression. He was close to crying, but he forced himself not to, instead sniffling into his knee. Why couldn't the guy just leave him alone. Red, however, _could_ hear the sniffing, and he also couldn't help noticing that A-Bomb's comments were eerily similar to those he'd read on the video's page.

"S-So just apologize and leave, OK," the blue teen finally stammered, loud enough for Red to hear. "I won't prank y-you anymore, and I w-won't post any of those other pranks online… I p-promise."

Silence followed his statement, and Rick strained his ears for the ex-general's answer. Finally, after nearly a minute, he heard,

"I'm sorry, kid,"

before the rocky plateau exploded around him.

* * *

A-Bomb yelled as he was tossed into the air, feeling bits of rock hit the outside of his strong exterior. Then, he felt himself falling, and braced himself for the eventual impact, which rattled him as he hit the ground at lightning speed, spinning around and around until he finally unrolled himself, flopping hard onto the ground.

"_Uurgh_," he moaned, disoriented as he blinked in the sunlight, shading his eyes with his hand. Rick fought the urge to throw up as he sat up, shaking his head as he looked around the area. Looking at his plateau, he saw that the top of it appeared to have been demolished, like a bomb had gone off. And standing a few yards away, completely unscratched, was Red, and A-Bomb noticed that one of his guns was smoking like the wreckage of the plateau.

Something seemed to snap inside Rick's head when he saw Red and what was left of his favorite spot. _All_ the hulks were known to have anger issues at times, but he had always kept a cool head and stayed optimistic, rarely getting upset. At least until now, his rage bursting inside of him like a dam breaking.

"YOU DESTROYED MY PLATEAU," he roared, quickly rolling into a ball and shooting towards the other hulk. Before reaching him, he unrolled himself, flying into the air and punching Red straight in the jaw. It felt good to hit Red, so A-Bomb followed it with two more hits and a kick before Red even tried to start defending himself.

"Calm down, kid," Red yelled, dodging one of Rick's punches. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"The only person getting hurt is YOU!" He turned invisible, landing three more hits on the red guy. "HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, HUH?! AM I STILL SMALL?" He landed another kick, sending Red tumbling. "AM I STILL ANNOYING?" Another punch. "_AM I STILL WEAK?!_" The teen landed a few more hits, starting to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, Red got lucky and kicked him back, breaking A-Bomb's concentration as he flickered back into view. The ex-general quickly pull out a small gun, shooting a heavy net around the blue hulk's legs. Rick struggled to break free, but it must've been made of some special material, because he couldn't tear it off or cut through it with his spikes.

"LET ME GO," he snarled, falling to the ground while still trying to break free. He was literally seeing red as he tried to rip the net apart, kicking up dust around him. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

"No, Jones," Red Hulk said gruffly, kneeling down next to the struggling teen. "Ya need to calm-"

"I WILL _NOT_ CALM DOWN! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING? MY PLATEAU, MY WEB SHOW! THAT WEB SHOW WAS THE ONLY PLACE I FELT THAT PEOPLE CARED ABOUT ME, AND NOW THEY ALL THINK LIKE YOU! AND TO THINK I STARTED THAT SHOW TO _HELP_ YOU!" He punched Red, but it barely fazed the guy. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST BEAT ME UP; WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GET EVEN?!" Another hit, this one weaker as Rick started to tire. "ANSWER, DAMNIT!" Another, weaker, punch, and tears were welling up in A-Bomb's eyes. "JUST… ANSWer…The…daMn… question…"

The last punch was barely a tap, and his arm fell to the ground as Rick burst into the tears he'd kept pent up all morning. He tried to roll into a ball, but his bound legs wouldn't let him curl, just hugging his knees as he sobbed. The anger that was there seconds before was replaced with a wave of sadness; a wave that seemed to envelop the boy, drowning him in sorrow. A-Bomb didn't care if anyone saw him, and he continued to weep, his cries muffled by his knees.

The red hulk knelt nearby, watching the boy sob on the ground in front of him, his legs still tangled in the net. He was definitely uncomfortable; crying _always_ made him uncomfortable, and it was even more awkward knowing that he was the cause of the kid's sadness. Now he _knew_ he felt guilty; he'd just wanted to get back at the kid, but now…

A few minutes later, Rick's crying subsided, and he slowly started to calm down. When he wasn't struggling, he was easily able to pull his legs free form the net, which he did, sitting up and staring away from Red. A-Bomb was still upset with the guy, and was embarrassed he'd cried in front of him; there was no way the hothead would let him live this down, and the teen sighed, staring at the remains of his plateau in the distance.

"… Rick," Red finally said, and A-Bomb froze, surprised that the ex-general even knew his first name; he'd only called him Jones, Kid, or Rookie in the past, like he was a private in the army.

"Rick, I, uh… I'm sorry for what I did. I really am. At first I wasn't, I admit, and Hulk had to push me in the right direction, but now…" The red man was obviously struggling to apologize; he was a general, and knew nothing about feelings. Red was still reeling from watching A-Bomb cry, not used to seeing the most positive member of the group so sad.

But General Thaddeus Ross didn't shrink from a challenge, so he tried again. "I read some of the comments… below the video."

"Like what you saw," A-Bomb asked bitterly, still not looking at the ex-general. "You've got quite a following out there, don't you? Like your own little army."

"Now that ain't fair-"

"Like it was fair what you did to me?!" The teen's shout echoed across the stretch of land, dying away a few seconds later. "I would _NEVER_ dream or think of doing something like that to you! I saw your fear when we fought Null, but I haven't said a _peep_ about it! A _normal_ person wouldn't do something like torture someone else with their fear! You went too far, but of course," Rick added, kicking at a stray stone, "you _always_ go too far to get revenge, don't you?"

He heard Red breathe in sharply, as the already hot air around them grew hotter. They both knew the impact of the blue hulk's words. Years ago, General Ross had hated Bruce Banner and the Hulk with a passion, eventually resorting to hunting him down like an animal. It quickly became an obsession; an obsession that turned the wrong way when the ex-general first created the Abomination, then later turned _himself_ into a hulk to defeat Bruce/Hulk. He failed both times, and it wasn't until later that he joined Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., though even now he still butted heads with the green hulk. No one talked about that feud or how he'd turned himself into a monster, and anyone who did was quickly shut down by Red; probably because it reminded him that it was the final wedge that drove his daughter away to do gamma research on the other side of the world.

Rick didn't know how much Red would react; he knew he'd be mad, but he wasn't sure if he'd hurt the guy he was supposed to apologize to. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Red finally spoke up. "I'm gonna let that slide, since you're hurtin' right now, and 'cause I probably deserved that. In the future, though, if ya bring that up again, I'll pound ya into mush!"

"Back to normal, I see," A-Bomb said bitterly.

"You're not making this any easier," Red complained. "I'm tryin' to apologize, ya idiot!"

"I'll save you the trouble," Rick said soberly, climbing to his feet, kicking a stray piece of net off his toe. "I forgive you, and I won't prank you ever again… it's not fun anymore." He started making his way back towards the base, hoping to get some distance before the red hulk decided to follow him.

"Hey," the ex-general called, getting up and starting after the blue hulk with a confused expression on his face. "So that's it? I'm forgiven just like that… and no more pranks?"

"Yep."

"You're not gonna _try_ and get even with me?"

"Nope." It scared the red hulk how easily the boy was giving up, and for some reason, felt that he shouldn't have gotten off this easy. Again, the red man felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"But that's not fair," Red exclaimed, trying to catch up with the kid. "I practically dragged ya through the mud and humiliated you! If I were you, I'd-"

"Yeah, well you're not me, are you," Rick asked forcefully, still walking briskly towards the base. "I don't _need_ to get even with someone to make myself feel better, and I'm not gonna satisfy your ego by getting back at you, because I don't want to get stuck in a loop of 'getting even' for the rest of my life! Sometimes… you just gotta give up and let someone else have the last laugh."

With that, A-Bomb rolled into a ball, shooting off across the ground, leaving a trail of dust and a thoughtful yet dejected red hulk in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

Red didn't know what to do, and it was driving him crazy. The kid forgave him, which should've been the end of it, but for some reason, he still felt guilty, and to make matters worse, the kid was still moping around, bringing the mood in every room he entered instantly down. After hearing that A-Bomb wouldn't be getting even, Red was conflicted; on one hand, he'd won, and he could add it to his trophy case of victories in his room and in his mind. But it was _how_ he'd won that continued to eat at him; Jones basically surrendered, and now was about as lifeless as a wall.

_This ain't how things're supposed to be_, he thought, watching the blue hulk play a video game with all the enthusiasm of a sloth. _I tried to apologize, the kid still forgave me, so everything should be better, and he should be back to his normal, annoying self… right?_ A sigh that came from the teen answered Red's question, and he left after that, racking his brains as to why the kid was acting like someone had died.

_I barely know the kid outsidea work, but I know that ain't right,_ he thought, making his way down the hall towards his room with the camera drone floating behind him_. Should I do something… __**nice**__, for him?_ The word sounded foreign, even in his own head._ Like how would I even-_

Red passed A-Bomb's room, and paused to look inside. The floor was still covered with those clown toys he'd bought online and had specially overnighted just to pull the prank. With the lamp still on, it cast an eerie glow on the room, the dolls' eyes glassy and vacant as they reflected the light. The ex-general stared at them, wondering if he should pick them up, then remembered the pillow and blanket he saw in Devil's room, and decided he should. Besides, they were his, anyway, and Red couldn't let the kid sleep on the floor, though he himself spent many nights sleeping in uncomfortable places in the Army.

After grabbing a box from storage, he came back to A-Bomb's room, picking up a clown toy, which started making those laughing noises when he squeezed it too hard. The red hulk picked up every doll in silence, occasionally broken by a scary laugh that was quickly shut off as he crushed the offending toys into pieces, throwing them into the bin. Picking up each one, he was starting to get a little scared himself, just because of the sheer number of them.

_Why'd I get so many_, he thought bitterly, tossing one after another into the box. _One would've been enough to scare him… Why'd I have to torture him like that?_

A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. Whirling around, he saw She-Hulk, Hulk's cousin, standing in the doorway with her own camera bot hovering nearby.

"Whaddaya want," Red grumbled, turning back to his job. It wasn't that he hated the only female member of the team; she was a pretty good fighter and pilot, and she was tough, like him, and he had great respect for her. It was probably because she was so similar to her cousin that he couldn't help disliking her a little.

"Just wondering where everyone was," she replied, watching him pick up the toys. "I assume Bruce chewed you out?"

"No! … Yeah." There was no use lying to her; besides, he _had_ gotten chewed out. "And the kid forgave me, so don't start nagging me about why he's moping around!"

"I won't; just wanted to make sure you learned your lesson. Judging by what you're doing, I think you have."

The ex-general grumbled, picking up the now full box of clown dolls. "It ain't any of your business, Jen! He forgave me, and all is right with the world!"

"Then why do you still look guilty," Jen asked, smirking a little.

Red heated up with anger so fast, the box started smoking. He quickly dropped the box, which rattled and emitted a few creepy laughs. "Look, Ms. Know-it-all, I'm not guilty, and anyone that says otherwise is kiddin' themselves! I mean, it ain't my fault if Rookie's still upset, right?!"

It was a good thing his skin was red, or else She-Hulk would've seen him blush. He quickly turned away, kicking the box over and spilling the dolls all over the floor. They started making that stupid laughing noise again, and the red hulk roared, quickly leaping forward and smashing each one to smithereens. His fists, hotter than an oven with rage, actually melted some of the metal pieces, and scorched the floor rug. When he finished, he breathed heavily, surrounded by the crushed box and dolls, which now littered the floor in pieces.

Red slumped against the bed, surrounded by the remains of the toys, the guilt in his chest reaching a painful boiling point. He hadn't lost his temper like that since… since he first became a hulk, and that had lasted a _long_ time before he'd finally gotten his head on straight. The red man clutched the sides of his head, as if trying to squeeze the answer to his question out of his mind.

Jen watched the scene with fascination. When the red hulk started smashing the clown dolls, she didn't think much of it; the hot-headed ex-general was always quick to anger, even when something went mildly wrong. However, when she saw his eyes practically glowing with rage, she knew that something was off, and took a step back, ready to go get Bruce in case things got out of hand. Fortunately, as quickly as the tantrum started, it was over, and the red hulk breathed heavily as he sat down next to the bed, holding his head with a pained look on his face. For a few moments, they both were silent, the tension in the room so tense, it could be cut with a knife. Finally, the unthinkable happened.

"What should I do," Red whispered, shaking so bad he seemed like he was freezing, though that was physically impossible for the hulk to feel cold. Jen gaped at the man, but he didn't notice; in all the years she'd known Thaddeus Ross, he rarely asked for help if he could help it. He usually just pretended to know what to do, even if it was obvious he didn't, no matter the consequence of his actions. But now, he seemed broken, and Jen knew that she shouldn't hold this over his head.

She walked into the room, sitting down a small distance from the red man. "About Rick, or…"

Red sighed. "About _everything!_ I got even with the boy, but I went too far. I tried to apologize, but he still forgave me, but we're both still upset and I don't know why! Every time Rick pranked me, _he_ didn't become ridden with guilt, so why do I still feel guilty about what I did? Why did I buy so many stupid dolls to scare him with? Why did I scare him so bad, he slept in Devil's room last night? Why did I think what I did was OK to do to a _kid_?" He spoke so quickly, it took She-Hulk all her focus to catch what the ex-general said.

"Well," she started, hoping that she didn't mess this up, "Rick probably _did_ feel guilty about the pranks he pulled on you; especially after you'd pummel him. Everyone deals with guilt in different ways, and it depends on the situation as well. No offence, but you're a pretty, uh… _passionate_ guy, so it makes sense that you feel more guilty that Rick ever would. Besides, your prank was a bit… _much_, compared to everything A-Bomb's ever done to you." Red quickly looked up, still with a pained look on his face, but remained silent.

"Now," Jen continued, "I've known Rick since he first met Bruce, before they were both hulks, and he's always been a joking kind of kid, even when he was little. He loves making others smile, and would often pull pranks on us as well. At first, we were like you, and disliked them and found them annoying. But eventually, we realized that meant he liked us; he never seemed to prank anyone he hated. Besides, it's not like you're the only person here that gets pranked by him. Remember what he did to Skaar's sword a week ago?" The red hulk grumbled, remembering how A-Bomb had replaced the alien's sword with a toy foam one. "The point is, pranking and joking around is his _thing_, just like being tough and egotistical is yours, and since he's sworn off pranking anyone, he's not himself."

"But he's sworn off pranking _me_," Red cut in, running his hand through his hair, still confused, even missing the insult about his ego. "He can still prank everyone else if he wants, so what gives?"

"But after what happened yesterday, how does he know that no one else will snap at some point and try to get even with him the same way you did? Most of us usually chase or pummel him after he pranks us, but now what's gonna stop the rest of us from exploiting his fear since it worked so well with you?"

The red man looked down at his feet; he hadn't thought of it like that before. He doubted that Hulk or Jen or even Skaar would do something like that, but the ex-general knew that if _he_ were A-Bomb, he'd be suspicious of everyone. Knowing this new fact made him feel worse, and he clenched his fists. "… So what now? Do I let the rookie prank me again so he feels better? 'Cause I will, if necessary; he's been moping around like someone just died."

"I don't think you can," Jen said sadly. "I mean, how are you gonna tell him to prank you again? Besides, I think it's gonna be a long time before he trusts _anything_ you say or do again."

"What?! You didn't say anything about trust!"

"Oh, Red. You may have been a four star general, but you sure are ignorant." She-Hulk stood up, walking towards the door. "Let's just hope he learns to trust you again before our next mission… for the sake of the team," she commented, leaving the red man in the room, still stooped in the mess he'd started.

* * *

Rick lay on the couch in a living room, watching a movie. It was some animated film, but since A-Bomb was still a teen, he could watch it without getting insulted for watching a kids movie. Besides, he was still jumpy from the whole clown thing, and he needed something to distract himself; he'd given up the webshow, so the movie was his second choice.

The blue hulk faced the TV, a bowl of popcorn sitting on his chest, a blanket covering his legs. It was a little after eleven thirty, and everyone else was asleep. Ever since the prank a few days ago, he'd had trouble falling asleep. His room was clean (Rick assumed that Red or someone else had cleaned up the dolls), but he still couldn't shake the feeling of dread and fear he felt every time he approached the door, so he decided to crash on the couch after the movie. But now wasn't the time to think about fear; now was the time for an hour and a half of jokes and animation, followed by inevitably crashing on the couch.

A-Bomb shoved some popcorn into his mouth, chewing the snack as he watched the main character, a cartoon cat, try to survive in New York City. The movie was old, from 1980-something, but he still enjoyed it, ever since he was a kid. Whenever he felt upset, he would watch that movie, and he remembered his mom used to bake cookies for him, and-

"Rick?"

The teen gave a startled cry, nearly falling off the couch and spilling some of the popcorn. He looked up to see who it was, and felt a chill go down his spine. Red.

Immediately, the blue hulk was on high alert, looking around for all possible escapes, and checking for any signs of another prank. Seeing none, he tentatively turned back to the TV.

"Go away, Red," he said tiredly. "I'm just trying to watch a movie." Rick continued to watch the movie, but noticed that he didn't hear the ex-general's feet leave the room. "_Go away_," he repeated. " … Please," he practically pleaded, too tired to yell. "Just leave me alone."

The red hulk reached over the couch, picked up the remote, and paused the movie. A-Bomb sighed, though his heart was full of fear, wondering what the teammate might do to him. He made to get off the couch.

"Stay," the ex-general growled, and Rick fell back onto the couch, deciding that it was no use trying to fight back; he'd probably end up on the web show again, getting embarrassed in front of 15 million people.

"Rick," the ex-general started again, standing behind the couch, shuffling his feet, "I… I wanted to apologize again for what I did to ya. It was over the top, cruel, and way outta line, compared with what ya did to me. I… I just wanted to get ya to stop prankin' me and messin' with my stuff, but I basically tortured you with those… dolls." The last part was spoken tentatively, both of them trying to forget those creepy clowns.

"To be honest," Red continued, "I… kinda miss ya bein' funny and annoyin' and runnin' around, full of life and all that crap. And I didn't mean to stop ya from prankin' or jokin' all together; I was just tired of ya messin' with my stuff." He looked down at the blue teen, who still wasn't looking at him. "You're a smart kid, and a damn good fighter. Ya were able to show the world that we weren't monsters; no one _else_ could do that! Ya gave me somethin' I hadn't had in a while… respect from others. But I took away all respect people had for you."

"I get it," Rick muttered bitterly, though he was a little touched by the ex-general's words. "You're sorry, you feel guilty, as you should be! And again, I forgive you. Are we done?"

"No, 'cause you're not yourself, kid! You walkin' around like a zombie, and you haven't spoken to anyone or done anything remotely funny!"

"Well why should I," the teen snapped. "Apparently, my mouth gets me into trouble, so why bother speaking? Same with my actions; if I don't do or say anything, I can't get hurt."

"But that's now how life works," the ex-general said, starting to get upset. "Look at me! I'm always doin' dumb stuff and lettin' my mouth get me into trouble; heck, I _still_ get into trouble even when I shut up! Ya don't just give up and let the bad guys win; ya gotta stand up to them and not be a coward! And I can tell ya ain't happy with bein' miserable, either!"

A-Bomb shifted a little, knowing that Red was telling was the truth. The red hulk noticed this, and pressed on, lowering his voice a little. "And the rest of us ain't happy ta see ya down like this, either. You're supposed ta be the funny guy that makes us laugh and keeps us from goin' all hulk on the public, but now you've givin' that up?"

"Yeah. Gotta problem with that?"

"Yes, I do."

"We'll what are you gonna do about it? Destroy another plateau?"

He heard the red hulk sigh. "Nah. But I'm joinin' ya. Scooch over." A-Bomb quickly sat up, scooting his feet back as the red man jumped over the couch, landing on the couch.

"No, you're not," the teen said, starting to get annoyed; can't the hothead just leave him alone? "You don't even watch movies like this!"

"Well, I figured it's time I try somethin' new," the hulk replied, resuming the movie. He reached for the popcorn, but the blue hulk snatched it away, refusing to share. "Besides, if you're not gonna be the funny guy anymore, I might as well fill that spot, and this'll be good research for me."

"You don't have to do this," Rick complained. "I know you're just trying to make yourself feel better."

"Then shut up and enjoy the movie," the ex-general growled, turning towards the animation on the large flat screen. Eventually, the blue teen sighed, turning back towards the movie, sitting as far away from the red hulk as possible.

Throughout the movie, the teen kept glancing at the hulk, waiting for him to eventually crack under the cheesiness and infantile-ness of the movie and leave, but the four-star general didn't; in fact, he almost seemed to be enjoying the film. This infuriated Rick; now he could never enjoy this movie in peace again. A couple times, the red hulk offered him the large bowl of popcorn, but the teen ignored him, staring pointedly at the screen.

Eventually, however, it reached this one point of the movie that always, _without _fail, made Rick cry; he couldn't explain how or why it did, but every time he watched this particular scene (which was one of the characters singing about no longer being alone), he would tear up. It was one of the reasons why he usually watched this movie alone, so no one would see him cry. But, knowing that Red was still nearby (and still worried about hidden cameras), he resolved not to cry, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists as the simple piano tune started to play.

As the song progressed, the blue hulk started to feel his eyes water, but he quickly wiped his face, trying not to cry. He then tried to think about something else to distract himself, but the surround sound system pumped the song into his mind, filling his ears. Then, at the halfway point of the song, Rick finally lost it, breaking down into tears.

Red jumped with surprise, looking over at the crying teen. Sure, the current scene in the movie was kinda sad, but it wasn't enough to cry over. Of course, though, the blue hulk was probably still upset from what had happened earlier. Once again, though, the tough hulk wasn't sure _what_ to do; should he say something? Say nothing? Ignore him? At least show that he acknowledged that the kid was upset? Eventually, though, he did something that surprised him, but probably would've made Greenie piss himself if he saw: he got up, sat next to the teen, and hugged him.

Rick stiffened under the sudden embrace, but didn't pull away, continuing to cry while the movie played in the background. At first, the blue hulk was crying about the movie, but it quickly morphed into the events of the past couple days, all of the emotions hitting him at once. To both of their surprise, the blue-shelled hulk hugged the red hulk back, crying into his shoulder. The ex-general was surprised that he wasn't repulsed by this motion, but rather felt a warmth in his chest, which he hadn't felt since the last time he'd hugged his daughter.

"I _h-hate_ b-b-being scared-d," the teen choked out, tears streaming down his face. "I hate _c-c-clowns!_ I hate that I'm supposed t-t-to b-be this super hero b-but I'm _still_ sc-scared of freakin' clowns! Those p-p-people were _r-right_ about m-me!" He sniffled loudly, still crying.

"Kid, _everyone_ has fears," Red said. "You sure as heck know that we have fears; there's nuthin' wront with havin' fears and bein' scared, 'cause it's natural. But I… I didn't have the right to expose that to the world. It wasn't right of me. If anythin', I shoulda been helpin' ya instead of makin' things worse for ya."

"No," the blue hulk said, now pulling back and wiping his eyes. "I… I shouldn't have messed with your weights and all that other stuff. It's just… you act like you're so untouchable and strong, and I know I'll never be like you, no matter how hard I try. I just… I dunno… wanted to prove to myself that if I could pull one over than you, I could be just as strong and strategic as you." He looked down at his lap, worried of what the ex-general would say, as well as embarrassed that he cried in front of him again.

Red was in shock. _Jen was right,_ he thought. _He pranked me because he looked up to me… He just wanted to __**be**__ like me, and I-_ He felt another pang of guilt in his chest as he remembered what he'd done, but he looked back at the teen. "I had no idea," he started.

"Of course you didn't know."

"But I know now. So… I give you permission to prank me."

Rick looked up with surprise, not believing what he'd just heard. " … What?"

"Well, I always accept a challenge when given," the red hulk continued. "And if your pranks make you a better fighter and strategist, and if it make me better, too, then you should prank again." A-Bomb said nothing in response, which worried the older hulk a little. "Look, I'll pound ya if ya don't prank me or any of us again!"

"Are you possessed," the teen asked. "You're kinda scaring me."

"Is that humor I detect," Red asked sarcastically, giving the teen a small smile.

Rick couldn't help it; he gave a large grin, his old self shining through for the first time in the past 48 hours; he secretly felt better, smiling again. "Yeah… I guess it is."

"Good! And ya better stay this way!" He got up off the couch. "I'm goin' to bed."

"Don't you wanna finish the movie," the blue hulk asked.

The red hulk nearly said no, since he'd barely made it through the first thirty minutes or so of the crappy cartoon, but upon seeing the teen's pleading look, he crumbled. "Fine," he replied, sitting back down on the couch. "But if ya start singin', I'm gonna knock ya inta next week!"

"Fine, but can I at least have some popcorn now?"

"Sure." The young hulk took the bowl, munching some popcorn as he watched the movie. Red couldn't help but grin at the kid's renewed enthusiasm, and hoped that he somehow didn't screw this up again, though he also felt good, knowing that all was right with the world again.

* * *

**Yeah, this is the end of the story. Hope y'all liked it; kinda a soft moment between Red and A-Bomb, since they usually aren't that close at times in the show, and since Rick's the youngest of the group, the idea just kinda came to me.**

**Review and favorite if you enjoyed it, and have a great day!**

**-aggiefrogger**


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